Wireless communication services for mobile vehicles, such as navigation and roadside assistance, have increased rapidly in recent years. Most of the services that have been offered are for a motor vehicle in operation, but more recently, the demands and potential for services to a turned-off vehicle have grown. Services that may be requested while the vehicle is off or in a quiescent mode may include maintenance and diagnostic functions, system updates, vehicle position determination, unlocking of the doors, or vehicle alarm silencing.
Normally when the mobile vehicle is off, it is placed into a powered-down or sleep mode. A communication device and a telematics unit may also be placed into a powered-down mode for minimal power drain on the battery. To perform a requested function while the ignition is off, the vehicle may be awakened, the desired function performed, and the vehicle placed back into the sleep mode.
One method currently in use is to synchronize the wake-up time with an incoming call from a telematics or service call center. When the vehicle is awakened, a call may be received and responded to appropriately. The time period between wake-up operations may vary from ten minutes, to several days or more if the vehicle has not been moved or driven. To coordinate the wake-up function with the call from the call center, time at the call center and at the mobile vehicle may need to be synchronized. A global positioning system (GPS) unit in the mobile vehicle may provide an accurate reading of time. After the call is received and the vehicle responds, the vehicle may be put back into the sleep mode again after a predetermined duration, minimizing battery drain. Unfortunately, a prescribed, coordinated duration and wake-up schedule may not always accommodate the needs of the user or service subscriber. A vehicle in long-term parking at an airport, for example, may have been powered down for a while, but may require immediate telematic assistance when the owner returns to a vehicle with keys locked inside.
When a vehicle awakens, it may be required to register with a local wireless carrier before sending or receiving a call. In certain instances, the time required for responding to a service request or receiving communication, service or software updates for the vehicle and the communication requirements may extend beyond the predetermined awakened duration. In other situations, a call may not be able to be completed during the awakened period due to high call loads on the call center or wireless service provider. Therefore, it may be beneficial to be able to alter duration and period between wake-ups, accommodating the actual or anticipated requests.
A method is needed to make vehicle services more available even when the vehicle is powered down or turned off. This would result in increased subscriber satisfaction with the services. Increased availability of services is generally compromised by the need to maintain low power consumption.
An improved method may also ease the strain on the call center, for example, by avoiding the need for multiple call attempts to a vehicle during a wake-up period or by allowing the call attempt pattern for contacting numerous vehicles to be staggered or altered. An improved method would allow an extension of time for the vehicle to complete the requested service during the wake-up period, and an alteration of the predetermined time for initiating the wake-up period. The desirable method is one that improves the availability of a vehicle to receive and perform a service request, while maintaining low power consumption.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method for improving the availability of a quiescent vehicle to receive and perform a service request, and to overcome the deficiencies and obstacles described above.